Hillary Clinton leaves 9/11 ceremony after 'feeling overheated'

September 11, 2016 at 11:52

“She didn’t look great,” he said. “Maybe she was dehydrated, these guys work 16 hours every day.”

Hillary Clinton left the 9/11 memorial ceremony in downtown Manhattan early on Sunday because she “felt overheated”, a campaign spokesperson said.

“Secretary Clinton attended the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony for just an hour and 30 minutes this morning to pay her respects and greet some of the families of the fallen,” spokesman Nick Merrill said in a statement, later versions of which omitted the word “just”.

“During the ceremony, she felt overheated so departed to go to her daughter’s apartment, and is feeling much better.”

The temperature in New York City on Sunday morning was in the low 80sF, around 28C, with humidity of around 46%. Clinton, like most official attendees at the memorial ceremonies, wore a formal suit.

3166 — Hillary Clinton departs the 11 September memorial. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

A security official who did not wish to be identified told the Guardian Clinton walked from the ceremony without support, got into a vehicle and was driven away.

“She didn’t look great,” he said. “Maybe she was dehydrated, these guys work 16 hours every day.”

Clinton’s van and security detail were seen outside Chelsea Clinton’s Manhattan apartment, in the Flatiron at 26th and Madison Avenue, according to reporters who travel with her.

Those reporters noticed her departure from the memorial at about 9.36am. The campaign did not respond to their questions or those from the Guardian until 11.03am local time, an unusually long lapse from a meticulous campaign organisation.

Clinton left her daughter’s apartment at about 11.45am, smiling and waving to the scrum of cameras and posing for a picture with a young girl before stepping into a campaign vehicle.

“I’m feeling great, it’s a beautiful day in New York,” she said.